Idaho news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1887-1891, 1887-11-05


we We had the trouble % gettin' her mn
won't charge you nuihln' fur my
snare o. the work" he continued. be.
lraying an eager desire TO ret out Of
iurther interest Ia the business. ..You
can use the coffin for kindlin'. Irs
only stained pine"
Ana Bony turned up the collar of his
coat ana made toward the door rs Il
ms trlhing mistake in the matter Of
collins had destroyed every bit of his
yengeful spirit.
stop, Bony. II said, lyon must belp
me lit the body out If we are going TO
destroy the evidence of our nights
work, and lifted the lid | had been
busy nnfnstening when Bony made his
bolt for the door.
u can't do il. DOCTOR" BOny said,
III SO t'morous voice as to surprise
me- IL cant look on that gals face
again, nohow. ! saw il this morning,
an l felt queer all dav. till the boss
riled me about that Myers coffin. !
can touch her again. nohow; can't,
! tell you, nohowl" And Bony's pite-
Gus wall of "can't-nohow." died away
IN the distance as he closed the door
behind him and was gone.
There was a sense OF sorrowful i'm
petnosity left as the echo OF his reced-
ing voice. as If drawing himself unwill-
lngly away from some attractive spell
that might prove fatal If he sta, ed. |
had lifted the lid and stood looking at
the dead face until that faint sense of
Bony's piteOus ''nolow!" was succeed
ed by silence SO deep as seemed to
break my reverie.
turned away, but an irresistible inn
pulse drew Inc to the face again. There
was not yestige Of disease or emacia-
ton. there was not the sunkon eye, nor
4 the grim paIlOr of death, but marvel
ously beautiful conntenance, that wore
only pleading expression. as if 10 say:
why have you disturbed my sleep?"
i might be only Bony's timorous
voice still ringing in my ears that
made the dead face look so beseeching,
but could not break It's spell. Turn
from IL with what determination
would, some ineilable fascination drew
mo back again, even from my window
where had gone 10 catch the first
faint glimmerings of the dawn, as il
their coming would release me from
my strange situat on.
Involuntary had moved the coffin
lid and looked upon tho delicately
chiselled hands and the small and
shapely feet. Her clothing was of the
commonest sort and had been worn
surely for disguise and not of necessity.
Bony's 'queer" feeling / understood
now, and every time my eyes perforee.
sought her face. 1t was the power of
beauty TO touch human sympathies.
What home had she deserted? How
far had she fallen? 1t had been bit
OF my unprScticed philosophy that we
men were too exacting of the other
sex; that VIC had no right 10 ask more
than fair balance OF virtues. And
here was, in sympathy. putting that
biz Of philosophy in practice. | was
allowing myself 10 pity, even 10 be in
terested in an evident oulcast. But
why not? She was dead And when
had freely piticd and admired, / could
give her back 10 dust again, or TO
friends who might show more charity
to the dead body than they had 10 the
living soul.
As ! looked again there was a shade
Of color in the face. The discovery
startled me; the gaze again fascinated
me. My hand insiincttiyely sought
that Of the dead, II was not dead.
There was mobility and warmth in it.
Or was II fancy with me, grow ng out
Of the warm atmosphere of nv con-
sultation room? Was il my own fevered
imag nation? But the color was still
rising in the checks. | was down upon
my knees chatting the hands. In dazed
half consciousness / rudely tore away
the covering from the throat removed
the tightly laced shoes and rubbed the
soft. delicate feet. When / looked aga.n
there was a pcrceptible tremor Of the
cyclids and the large, lustrous eyes
lost something of their fixed stare,
they turned little; my subject was
alive!
With the knowledge that she lived
came a moro intelligent control of NV
own sense. ! set to work and prepared
n stimulating draught. and then. rails
ing her in her coffin, applied it to her
lips. There was a CLEAN OF returning
consciousness, n glance at her sur.
roundings. at the coffin in which she
sat, and then she swooned again.
! laid her back upon the pillow of
wood shayings that was part of the
furnishing of pauper coffin and deli
berated MS 10 what should do next.
Tho morning light was now stream
ing in through the window and soon all
the world might know what the night
had hidden. Tho newsbov on his early
round at that moment dropped the
morning paper from the not distant
city on tho doorstep, and instinctively
went to get that wonderful epitome
of the last days doing and learn IL It
had got any clue to the history of the
strnnoa woman who had died Mt the
hotel.
Yes, there Il was. Tho case that the
..nrf,nnLnr.. nnrnnnr nnl his ,nnnsLnrs